Cherry Blossoms
by QueenLeapold
Summary: Whouffle/souffez. Clara and the Doctor travel to Japan, 1910, where the TARDIS is stolen! Set just after The Name of the Doctor (mostly cuteness, more fluff as story progresses). If you like it, or have some suggestions, please review, it would be very helpful!
1. Swirling World of Colors

Clara stepped out of the TARDIS into a beautiful, swirling world of colors and fabric. The Doctor had brought her to 1910 Japan and she was incredibly excited. From a young age, she had read about the wonders and treat beauty of Japan's Meiji era. Seeing it in real life, however, was so much more than she had even dreamed of. Surrounding her, hundreds of women in ornate dresses frolicked through the streets with men on their arms, and the air was filled with the lingering scent of lavish perfumes and the melodies of live musicians.

"Well, what do you think?" the Doctor called as he flicked a few final switches on the console.

"It's…stunning," replied Clara, entirely in awe.

The Doctor stepped onto the ground beside her smiling, ready for a new adventure. She turned to thank him, but before she could open her mouth, the TARDIS began to dematerialise behind them.

"No, no, no!" the Doctor cried, struggling to push his key into the door before it fully got away from them, "Don't leave!"

But it was too late, and there was nothing else he could do but sigh and moan "Again? It happened again?!"

Frustrated, he stood in silence for a minute. Then, the Doctor looked into Clara's eyes and explained slowly that there was not much that they could do but wait and hope for the TARDIS to make a reappearance. He looked concerned, and Clara knew that he was always more worried than he let on. She, however, wasn't feeling too threatened. The Doctor always sorted things out, and she could still barely contain her excitement to explore Tokyo.

"So, what is there to do here in this beautiful city?" Clara asked, after an appropriate pause.

The Doctor smiled and slipped her hand into his. They turned a corner to a sweet little shop, filled with the beautiful dresses that the women on the street were wearing.

"First," the Doctor explained, "We need to look the part."

Out of his chest pocket, he pulled a large handful of Japanese currency and handed it to Clara. She grabbed and dashed down the aisles of oriental fabric. The silks and satins danced around her, swept by the breeze coming in from a nearby window.

Sometimes, when they arrived at a new destination, the Doctor would insist that they remain in their regular clothes. Clara had learned this meant he didn't intend to stay long. Now, with the TARDIS gone, they didn't have a choice. She knew she should feel bad for being happy about it, but getting into character with the natives was admittedly one of her favourite parts of travelling.

She wandered until she found a gown that caught her eye. It was a green satin dress with a golden sash, covered with cherry blossoms. She ran her hands down it admiringly as the Doctor came up behind her, and plucked it from the rack.

Later, Clara slipped into the kimono, she learned it was called, and tied her hair up into a bun. The Doctor had changed into a ridiculous getup that he explained was very usual for Japanese men of this era. She giggled, realising how rarely she saw him in an outfit without a bow tie.

They made their way into a party located in a lavish house. It must have dated back to the Meiwa era at least, Clara speculated. The party itself was nothing like she had expected, for it was a handful of businessmen, accompanied by women dressed like herself, who sat and drank tea of strange liquor while the women performed dances, or sang, or played instruments.

As she leaned over to dare the Doctor to go up and perform a song himself, another young man tapped her on the shoulder. Surprised, she turned to him.

"You are an American?" the man asked, lowering himself into a greeting bow.

She laughed politely, and explained to him that she was actually British (as if that was the factor that made her the most foreign). They chatted for a while about Japan and how she was liking it so far.

His eyes stayed intently on Clara, and as the conversation stretched out she found herself gazing across the room to the Doctor. He was performing some ridiculous form dance that apparently everyone else seemed to find quite funny as well.

The Japanese man noticed her looking over, and took her hand into his.

"Why don't we go talk somewhere a little quieter?" he asked.

Not knowing what to do, Clara rose and followed him outside into the warm summer night. They continued to talk for a while, but Clara noticed that he was slowly inching closer, which made her nervous. She tried to ignore it though, as he carried on explaining to her the rich variety of silks produced in that area. Then, all of a sudden, he took one final lunge forward, placing on hand on Clara's back and one hand on her thigh.

"What are you doing?!" Clara spat, startled, before he swooped in to kiss her. He thrust his mouth onto hers and she tried to pull away, but he only gripped her tighter. The man's hand had a painful death grip on her thigh, and Clara struggled against him with all of her might, kicking and trying to punch. Tears pouring down her cheeks, she wrenched her face away from his and omitted a shriek. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed the man's shoulders and yanked him away from her.

Clara, in her surprise, fell to the ground. Shaking, she could hear two men arguing. Before she could turn to see who it was, however, she stood up and ran out down the street as fast as she could. It was difficult to sprint in a kimono, however, and she didn't get too far before she fell to the ground again.

"Doctor?" she called, suddenly becoming very aware of how alone she was.

A familiar figure approached, and she began to relax.

"Shh, it's okay. I found you, Clara. You didn't have to run off." The Doctor said quietly, and she realized that _of course _it had been him who came to save her. She'd been thrown off by his out-of-character outfit, but she shouldn't have even doubted it.

She pulled him into a tight hug, feeling her body relax, and together they retreated to little hotel where the Doctor booked them a room. She kept trying to thank him for what he had done, and apologise at how silly she'd been to separate herself from him, but he wouldn't let her finish. He tucked her into the bed, covered her with blankets (they were even softer than the silk kimono, Clara noticed) and kissed her quickly on the forehead.

It wasn't long before she drifted to sleep, thinking of how this was the safest she had ever felt.


	2. Fortune Teller

Clara awoke to see the Doctor dozing in a chair beside her bed. He looked so peaceful in sleep - so much younger with his eyes closed. His bow tie hung crookedly from his collar, and his hair had fallen down onto his face, a state which Clara did not often see him in.

Stretching her arms, she sat up and found herself in silk pajamas with her hair down against her back. This alarmed her slightly, as she distinctly remembered falling asleep in her kimono and hair up in a bun. Slowly, the previous night's memories came flooding back, and Clara shuddered at the thought. All she wanted to do was get out of this place, but they didn't have the TARDIS, nor did they have any other means of transportation. And even if they did, where would she go? It was 1910, and no train or boat could carry her back to her cozy little home in 2013.

The Doctor shifted in his chair slightly, and Clara went over to shake him awake. She shook his shoulders but was met with no response, so she took his hand up in hers. Instantly, his eyes fluttered open.

"Thank you," she said softly, before he had a chance to speak.

He lifted his hand up to cup her cheek. "Oh Clara, my impossible girl, I would do anything for you."

Clara gestured to her pajamas.

"About that," he said, flustered, "You looked uncomfortable while you were sleeping, so I went out and knicked you a night shirt and pants. Seems that the women in geisha Japan only wear fancy-wancy robe sort of things, so I got a pair of small men's pyjamas. I hope you don't mind. Oh! and I left your undershirt on, i–if that's what you're worried about."

At this point, his face was tomato red. Clara just laughed and hugged him. He smelled amazing, like fall and cherry blossoms, and his arms were strong around her.

"So," said the Doctor, releasing at last, "What should we do today?"

After a day of ballets and foreign cuisine, Clara was exhausted, and wanted to rest for a while. She had no intentions of going to any other parties, seeing as last night's had been a complete disaster. She suggested to the Doctor, who was looking around excitedly for another thing to do, that they go back to the hotel room for tea. Grudgingly, he lead her back to the vine-covered building, but as they were about to enter, a street merchant called out to them.

It was a fortune teller, saying that she could see Clara's future. Clara decided to humor this woman, so she went to the booth and sat down in the chair. The Doctor pulled his Sonic out of his jacket and wandered a few metres away to inspect something or another.

The merchant was wearing a cloak, covering her face. Clara noticed that her middle was round, and that she was most likely pregnant, and in need of money. She took out a bit of money and slid it along the table, towards the merchant. The merchant did not take it.

"Welcome, Miss Oswald." she cooed, and Clara asked how the merchant knew her name.

"I am a fortune teller, I can tell anyone their name, but only special ones can be told their futures."

Confused, Clara pushed the money even further, earning a smile from the merchant.

"I do not require money. Especially not from you, Miss Clara. You are one of the most special people that I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. A time traveller, are you? And that man you were with, he is not a man at all, is he? Not human like you and I?" Clara shook her head.

"Hmm," the merchant said, pausing a moment in thought, "You care for him, though you may not have realized it yet, but I see on the horizon that you will develop strong feelings for him. You must be careful though, dear. He has seen many things and will only open up to people whom he cares for very much."

The merchant looked over Clara's shoulder, at the Doctor, who was leaning against the wall of the hotel. "He cares for you too. More than you know. He tries very hard to hide this fact, though, for he is afraid of getting hurt. I can tell that there is definitely a future between you two, one you should pursue," the merchant smiled at Clara taking her hands and leaning in towards her ear, "Just remember, when he is finally ready, do not be afraid, do not falter. It will be the best decision of your life."

With a final smile and thanks, Clara got up and returned to the Doctor. She tossed the merchant's words over in her mind, trying to decide what to make of them. What did she mean, there was definitely a future between her and the Doctor? With the shake of her head, she concluded that the merchant was probably crazy, and to not take what she said seriously.

When they were back in the room, and Clara back in her pajamas, her and the Doctor got to talking about their childhoods.

"Mine was fairly boring," she said, "growing up, making soufflés with my mother. Getting through school. I guess things were pretty different after my mom died, my dad kind of retreated within himself. He always looked lost without her." Clara smiled at the memory of her mother.

"I don't like to talk about my childhood," the Doctor responded.

"Then tell me about one of your favorite memories." Clara asked. He began to describe a world with wonderful color, with another person. Clara did her best to listen, but couldn't help but get distracted.. Watching his face express every emotion he felt, his words lighting up his eyes as if a weight was lifted, though it was only for a moment. In that moment that he revealed his true self, she realized how much she felt for him.

The sudden realization hit her - how much she needed him in her life, how lost she would be had she never met him, how much her heart would break if he ever left her. Clara was able to push away these thoughts enough to notice that the Doctor had stopped talking.

"Clara," he said quietly, with a concerned look, "You're crying."

Embarrassed, she wiped her face. The Doctor smiled shyly, and his face turned serious.

"I'm sorry that I can't find the TARDIS. I can't imagine how horrible last night was for you. I just don't know how to get her back." The Doctor looks down, ashamed.

"Doctor?" Clara asks, "How did you know to come and help me, last night?"

He looked up at her, his eyes showing an emotion that Clara had never seen before, "When I saw that man talking to you, I got a bit suspicious, but I knew you were just trying to be polite. I didn't see you leave, but as soon as I saw your empty seats, I ran outside and grabbed him off of you. I didn't want to fight him, it is not the way that I do things, but I had no choice. He hit me, and I just pushed him into the house, where the hostess had followed me into the hallway. I feel so badly, Clara. I should never have left your side."

Clara, suddenly overcome with emotion, got out of her chair, went over to the Doctor, and, without even thinking, planted the most gentle kiss on his soft, warm lips.


	3. Coordinates

Clara stepped away from the Doctor, blushing at her last move.

"I… I'm sorry, Doctor," she said, "I was just so emotional and these past few days have been hard on me and–"

The Doctor stepped forward and put his hand on her waist. He leaned down and kissed her, less reserved. Clara put her arms around the back of his neck and leaned in to the kiss. This close to him, it seemed as if nothing else mattered.

Clara forgot about the TARDIS, and the night before, and how tired she was. She just let herself breathe in this man, the scent of him, the feeling of his arms around her. It felt so right to be this close, for they fit together so perfectly. He was holding her with strong arms, so tight she was sure he was never going to let go.

Just seconds later, he did let go, and stepped back, seemingly ashamed. Rubbing his face, he started pacing around the room.

"I should never have done that. I am so sorry Clara." His voice was tight.

Clara sat down on a chair, looking at him. Her lips were still tingling and she felt strangely colder without him so near.

"Clara, this can't happen," The Doctor continued, "It is not possible for this to happen, someone will always get hurt. I think it would be best if we - just stay friends."

"How are we just supposed to stay friends when we've been through so much together? Is this what happens with all of your friends, either you drop them or they leave?"

"Or they die. That is what I am so afraid of, Clara. I've seen you die twice already, and that was before I even knew you. If you die before it's your time, I don't think I would be able to live with myself. I have seen the ends of far too many lives in my days, and while you age, I will remain in this form, or I will regenerate, and if that happens it will never be the same between us. Clara, for both our sakes, this cannot happen."

Clara looked away from him, trying to hide the fact that her heart had just been ripped to pieces by the man she cared for the most. She didn't know what to say, and she didn't want the Doctor to see how much this hurt for her. The Doctor started to walk over to her, and just as she was trying to figure out what to say, they were interrupted by the exact noise they were least expecting.

The familiar wheezing of the TARDIS filled their ears, and Clara and the Doctor both bolted out the door. They raced down the cramped streets, ducking under shop signs and jumping over crates of rice and fruit. The noise was distant, but somehow they could hear it above all else, and the Doctor knew exactly which direction to go.

As they rounded a corner, he reached his hand behind him and Clara immediately took it, hoping that this was some sort of temporary truce between them. They bolted down three more blocks before they saw her, the TARDIS. The Doctor leapt towards the familiar blue box, pulling Clara along so fast she thought her arm might pop out of its socket.

Just as they were about to reach the door, the wheezing noise started again, and before they could touch it, the TARDIS had dematerialized.

"No, no, no! Why do you keep doing this to me?" the Doctor cried out, frustrated, sliding down to sit against the wall of a nearby building.

Clara looked around as she tried to figure out what to say, and noticed a small piece of paper just behind where the TARDIS had been.

"Doctor," Clara said, going to pick it up, "The TARDIS left something behind for us. It's a note!"

The Doctor stood up and leaned over Clara's shoulder as she unfolded the note: 35.4475° N, 139.6423° E.

"Coordinates," the Doctor whispered excitedly, "but, from whom?"

He pulled out his sonic and scanned the paper. "Hmm, the only fingerprints or bits of DNA it displays are yours - no other traces. I think our best bet would be to find out where these coordinates lead."

It turned out that the place outlined in the note was not far from where they were, about twenty kilometers east, and only a forty-five minute boat ride away. As Clara and the Doctor stepped off the boat, they entered a delicate paradise. There were rows upon rows of beautiful cherry blossoms, and as she walked through they floated onto her hair and satin dress.

Beyond the trees, Clara could see a tower, draped in vines and beautifully rustic. There was a large archway that led inside the tower, which Clara entered cautiously. She looked back to see the Doctor scanning the trees with his sonic screwdriver. She couldn't help but giggle at his appearance, covered in flowers, just as she was. Somehow, they didn't suit him quite as well.

He tucked his sonic into his jacket and proceeded through the doorway to meet. Clara and the Doctor stared up in awe at the spiraling staircase that seemed to go on forever.

"Well, I guess we better get started then." Clara remarked, and she placed her foot on the first step.

Half an hour later, they were at a doorway, seemingly the top of the stairs. The Doctor tried his sonic on it, only to find it had little effect on the wood. Clara shot him a look as reached for the door handle and found it unlocked.

Sheepishly, the Doctor tucked his sonic away into his jacket and stepped through the doorway. As Clara's eyes adjusted to the light (it was very dusty in the tower) she sucked in a breath, marveling at the sheer beauty of what surrounded her.

Cherry blossom trees by the dozens as far as she could see, somehow even more magical than the ones at the foot of the tower. Their petals formed mesmerizing pink patterns as they danced on the warm breeze. She stepped up on her toes and spotted something in the distance. Water collided with a rocky shore, splashing upwards against the dark rocks, and, even farther, crystal blue ocean as far as she could see.

She was interrupted when she noticed the Doctor just a few feet in front of her, reading a note.

"What does it say?" Clara asked.

"It just says your name," he replied slowly, "And it has a key attached."

Clara sat down, frustrated, tucking the key away into her pocket. The sun had began to set, and she wasn't up to looking through the night, especially when they didn't know exactly what they were looking for.

"Doctor, perhaps we should just call it a night, and keep on searching in the morning," she suggested, only to find the Doctor looking like a little child who had just been denied chocolate, "I know that you Time Lords don't sleep as much as humans do, but I have had a long day."

"Alright," he agreed at last, "We san start looking tomorrow morning. The only trouble is, where are we supposed to sleep?"

Clara glanced inside the door of the tower, "There is a little nook where we can stay tonight. It will conceal us from anyone who decides to come here."

The next morning, Clara awoke to the rich scent of the cherry blossoms, and perfectly warm even though they hadn't had a blanket. She attempted to roll over, only to find the Doctor had his arms around her. One of her hands was interlocked with his, and the other lay gently on her stomach.

She slowly removed her fingers from his grasp, and edged her body away from his. Once she had finally detached, she stood up to stretch.

"Wakey, wakey, Doctor" Clara cooed, and the Doctor's eyes snapped open.

"Ready to go?" he asked, jumping to his feet.

"Ready." She replied, grabbing his arm and beginning to descend the staircase.

It was about mid-morning, and between the two of them they had covered most of the trees. Clara was getting hot and frustrated, the sun making her dehydrated. She was about to call out to the Doctor, telling him she was ready to look somewhere else, when he came bounding through the forest right towards her.

As he reached her, he handed her a small silver box with a keyhole in it. She looked at it for a moment in confusion, but the Doctor slid the key out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Carefully, Clara unlocked the box, and it popped open, revealing another note inside. She took it out, handing the box to the Doctor, and unfolded it. "Turn around" it read.

Suspiciously, she turned fully around and took a few steps forward. Out of nowhere, she was hit with some invisible force that knocked her to the ground.

The Doctor ran towards her, slowing as he approached so he wouldn't make the same mistake. He helped her up and clumsily reaced towards whatever invisible thing she had ran into.

His eyes lit up with a sudden realization. "Clara, it's the TARDIS, on the invisibility option! We've found her!"

He found the door handle and opened it to reveal the inside of his beloved TARDIS.

"I just hope it hasn't drained too much power," he said, offhand.

The Doctor ran to the console, and the TARDIS turned blue again, to Clara's great relief. Clara closed the door to the TARDIS and stepped inside, grateful to be able to go somewhere else, finally. However, there was one thought she couldn't get out of her mind

Who took the TARDIS?


	4. Fae

Clara sat cross-legged on her bed reading a book which was resting in her lap. It had been three months since the trip to Japan, and the Doctor had dropped Clara off at her house so he could "think some things over". She was hoping that three months was enough time for him, but the Doctor could be unpredictable. For her, it was impossible to know how long it had been on his timeline - had he been without her for three months, or had it been days, minutes, or years?

Clara did her best to stop it from getting to her. Mostly, she passed her time reading, watching TV and making soufflés. She didn't want to leave the house, in fear that the Doctor might appear while she was gone.

Frankly, Clara had grown tired of waiting. During her break from traveling the stars, she was so anxious, and she was jaded with this feeling that something needed to happen. She even contemplated getting a job, but that would tell the Doctor that she was ready to move on from him in life. That was as far from the truth as possible, for she could hardly stand living without him, in her boring little home, with her boring little life.

It was that morning, exactly three months after he had returned her back to London, that the Doctor finally decided to show up. Clara had been in the shower, shampooing her hair, when she heard the achingly familiar noise of the TARDIS.

She immediately jumped out of the shower, soap bubbles still clinging to her hair and body, grabbed her robe and ran downstairs. Out the door she sprinted, bare feet and all, towards the Doctor. She flung her arms around his neck and clutched him tightly, grateful that she was no longer restricted to her boring, normal old life of time passing normally.

"It's so good to see you, Clara," the Doctor exclaimed, looking overcome with joy. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, getting some soap on the tip of his nose.

"It's good to see you too." Clara replied, "but I better get washed up before we head off on any more adventures." The Doctor laughed and escorted her back inside.

The pair sat in the living room, sipping on tea. The Doctor had asked how she'd been spending her days, and she responded by wondering the same thing of himself. Apparently, neither of them had gotten up to much. The Doctor had explored one or two planets, but mostly he was cleaning up and rearranging the TARDIS, for she had looked a tad messy after Japan.

"They were mostly planets that I've been to before. Not really anything too new or special," he said. Clara responded by sharing some memories of her time at home, visits with friends, books she'd read.

"Well, where are we off to now, Doctor?" asked Clara, excited to get going again.

"I was actually hoping," The Doctor said, cautiously, "that I could stay here for a while, I'm tired of being on the road, and I'd like to be able to have some time where I'm not fighting off any other species."

Clara, though a little disappointed, nodded her head, glad to at least have her Doctor back. She set up a little bed for the Doctor on the couch just outside of her room, and set up some ground rules.

"First," she'd said, "You can't go through my drawers, and you have to respect the fact that I need privacy. Second, be careful of the neighbors, they hate me already and don't need a reason to call the police. Okay?" The Doctor nodded, seemingly excited to try living as a regular, plain ol' human.

Only three days later, the Doctor was bored of reading, watching TV and making soufflés (or attempting to). He kept prodding Clara to pack her bags so they could get going.

"Oh, so now you're tired of being a 'regular person'. I thought you said you wanted to stay here at least a week." Clara teased.

"Well, what is there to do here? It's just so boring. Are all human lives so boring?" He whined.

"Fine, I'll pack my bags." Clara said, and went upstairs to get her already packed suitcase.

In the TARDIS, Clara looked on as the Doctor pushed random buttons on the console, hoping with all her heart that she was about to go on an incredible adventure - just like old times.

"So, where are you taking me, Doctor?" She asked, excited.

"Oh, I don't know, wherever the TARDIS wants to go, I suppose." He replied.

With the familiar wheeze, the TARDIS took off, heading wherever she had decided to take them. Clara held on to the railing surrounding the console, for the TARDIS really was having a fun time deciding where to take them. The Doctor looked over at Clara, the anticipation clear in his eyes. With a final thud, the TARDIS landed, and the Doctor went to the door to inspect the outside world.

He flung open the door, and in blew a rush of freezing cold air. Stepping back, he motioned for Clara to join him. She grabbed her coat, and hurried alongside him, not prepared for the drastic change in weather.

Far in the distance, they could see an array of colorful lights shining on the glistening snow. The breeze carried soft music, and Clara could hardly contain her excitement as the Doctor locked the TARDIS door and returned to her side. He took her by the arm as they proceeded towards the intriguing lights and sounds.

Together, they approached an area that looked like a little town. There was a collection of twenty or so glass domes, arranged in a circle around what looked like an ice sculpture of a fairy. Collected in the domes, or milling about the statue, there were creatures that looked very much like humans, only a tad shorter and with undertones in their skin- green, blue, and purple. What was odd about these creatures was, though it was at least minus twenty-five out, they had on what looked like bathing suits, and no shoes.

The Doctor and Clara, still arm-in-arm, approached one of aliens. Tapping it on the shoulder, the Doctor said "Excuse me, but we were just traveling about and we are a bit lost, do you think you could tell us where we are, exactly?"

"Certainly," the person replied, in a delicate, high pitched voice, "We are in Indigo, of course."

Clara shot the Doctor a hopeful look, wondering if that meant anything to him.

"I'm afraid you'll have to tell us a bit more than that. We've really wandered out of our way. What planet are we on?"

"The planet Fae, best in the elemental system," the creature explained proudly, "My name is Lily, and you are?"

"I'm Clara, and this is the Doctor." Clara replied.

"Wonderful! you are just in time for our winter solstice celebration. Come join us for music and food and dancing. We love visitors!" Lily said excitedly, leading them towards the ice statue.

They passed little clusters of people, who were talking, or dancing, or singing. They were met with many smiles, and some people even shook their hand, or said hello. Clara was enjoying their welcomeness, and remembered exactly how much she had missed this experience - all the new things, all the interesting people!

Lily lead her and the Doctor behind the ice sculpture to a bonfire pit. Much to Clara's surprise, the fire was purple! It was strangely beautiful, and there was a group of the Fae people who were gathered in a circle around it, singing a melodic song. Their voices all blended together, forming perfect harmonies in another language.

"Will you come sing with us?" Lily asked, looking up at the Doctor.

"We would love to, but is there any way we could learn the song first?" the Doctor replied, a little apprehensively.

Lily, laughing, said "There is no need, just join hands with someone in the circle."

The Doctor proceeded forward, urging Clara along. Clara stepped into the circle and joined hands with the Doctor on one side, and Lily on the other. She suddenly felt a warm presence enter her body, and she found she knew all of the words. It felt so good to sing with these people.

She looked over at the Doctor, and saw that he had this big goofy grin on his face. They were having so much fun that they didn't realize how much time had passed. The sun had set and nearly risen again before Clara began to feel how tired she was.

"Doctor, do you suppose we could pop back in the TARDIS and have a rest before we have any more fun here?" she asked.

The Doctor, looking just about as tired as she felt, nodded, and turned to leave when Lily called out, "That won't be necessary, we have lodging that you are welcome to stay in." Clara looked at the Doctor, who shrugged.

"Sure," Clara said, "That would be just fine."

Lily showed them to a little glass dome and let them inside. This one was much smaller than the rest, only a single bed and a dresser in this room. "I hope this is alright, it will be a bit squishy, but should be fine for a couple like you two." Lily said.

Clara and the Doctor looked at each other, both bright red. "Oh, I see you are not yet a couple. Well, I suppose it will give you a chance to get better acquainted." She followed up, winking at Clara as she left the room.

"You sleep on the bed," the Doctor urged, his eyes wandering around the room, "I can just stay awake - make sure things are okay." "Doctor, you should know well enough by now that I won't let you do that. We are both sleeping on the bed, that's final." Clara replied firmly, gesturing to the bed, "There is tons of space."

She walked over to the dresser, finding a nightgown for her and a pair of pajamas for the Doctor, both white and the perfect size. She handed them to the Doctor and proceeded to peel off her stockings, which were turning out to be definitely not the right wardrobe choice judging by the days events, as she could no longer feel her legs. Clara attempted to reach the zipper on her dress, but finding she could not reach it. As she went to tug the dress over her head, the Doctor came behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I…I can…um..." he said quietly.

Clara just smiled at him, and pulled her hair off her back so he could unzip her dress. His fingers brushed her spine and made her skin tingle as he pulled the zipper down, giving her goosebumps.

Immediately, he stepped back and covered his eyes, allowing her to change.

"Okay," Clara said once she finished, "Your turn."

She began to brush her hair out, making it fall in silky waves down her shoulder. Then, overcome with exhaustion, she fell into bed beside the Doctor.

Clara awoke with the absence of the Doctor's warmth, and found that the sheets beside her were cold, and that the Doctor's pajamas were heaped on the dresser. She rose only to see that she was surrounded by a battlefield.

The people of Fae were fighting these great big creatures that looked like polar bears with jewel-encrusted snouts. Clara scrambled to get her clothes on and sprinted outside. Frantically, she scanned the crowds for any sign of the Doctor. She spotted him, finally, directly across from where she was standing. She took off weaving around people and bear-things alike.

The Doctor was holding someone in his arms, frantically trying this or that with his sonic screwdriver. As Clara drew closer, she realized that it was Lily, who had been fighting a bear when it took a swing at her face. Unfortunately, it had broken her neck.

"Doctor," Clara said softly, "I don't think there is anything you can do, I'm sorry."

The Doctor looked up at her, sorrow plain on his face. For him, this was just another death to add to his massive toll, another picture on his obituary wall.

Clara reached her hand out to him, intending to take him to the TARDIS, when suddenly the wind was knocked out of her. She fell to the floor with a thud before her fingers reached his, and she could hear the Doctor scream her name. Above her, there was a massive white figure looming, and she wanted to scream, to move, to do anything, but she couldn't. Her mouth filled with a strange, metallic, coppery taste. Blood. Somewhere it registered, in the back of her mind, behind all of the tiredness, that she was dying.

Suddenly, the looming figure was pulled off her and a familiar voice broke through.

"Clara, Clara? Can you hear me?"

She wanted to nod, but she was just so tired. Strong, familiar arms encircled her and picked her off of the floor. They carried her back to the blue box, the TAR-DIS. What a funny name for a place like this. The voice broke through her tiredness again.

"Clara, My Clara? Please, everything is going to be fine, just let me know if you're okay. You of all people can live through this, my impossible girl. I will not let you die. If I have to fight off an army of one million Daleks, I'll do it, for you, Clara. You are one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, and you-" the voice broke, suddenly becoming much more vulnerable and desperate, "You can't die. I won't be able to live with myself if you die, Clara. You have so much left to live for, you can find a husband and have a baby and all of that, just cling on to that thought Clara." Now the voice was choked up, like it was crying.

"Clara Oswin Oswald, I am madly, irrevocably in love with you and I will **not** let you die."

Clara felt a hand on her stomach, and then all she could see was beautiful, swirling golden-yellow light.


	5. Luminance

Clara opened her eyes to a blinding light, the luminance obscuring her vision before she was able to make sense of where she was. The ceiling above her was in the TARDIS console room, and someone was clutching her hand. She attempted to move her head, but a sharp pain shot through her entire body and she let out an estranged moan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

This voice belonged to the Doctor, who was holding her head in his lap, wiping sweat and tears off of her face. Clara's eyes shifted around until they settled on his familiar face, though it was splotchy and tear-streaked - so different than the one she'd known.

"My Clara, my Impossible Girl. I am so sorry. I should never have taken you from you little home," his voice was small, as if it pained him to speak the words.

He tenderly ran his thumb across Clara's cheek. She tried to speak, but could only manage a whisper.

"What Happened?" she croaked out. The Doctor, looking forlorn, began to explain the events that had occurred just hours ago. It was odd - to Clara, even her most recent memories felt like a lifetime ago.

"We were on the planet Fae, and a war broke out between the people of Fae and their enemies, the Ursus species. I couldn't interfere with the battle, as much as I wanted to. It was a fixed point in time, Clara.

"I tried to help the people who were injured, but one person who was very kind to us, Lily, was killed. When you came to get me to go back to the TARDIS, one of the Ursus attacked you. You were crushed before I so much as took a step. Clara, your internal organs were torn apart. You had begun to split up blood, when a group of the Fae people were able to pull him off you and kill him. I ran to you and picked you up, sprinting towards the TARDIS with you in my arms, but you were pretty much gone. I did everything I could with my sonic, but your organs were beyond repair. You died, Clara. You died in my arms."

"Then why am I still here?" she choked out, "How could I possibly still be here?"

"Because…" the Doctor struggled to get the words out, "I used some of my regeneration energy on you. But since you did die, your body will not be accustomed to the resuscitation for quite some time."

"What does that mean?" Clara asked.

"Regeneration isn't meant for humans, Clara. It's hard enough on a time lord - but, for you, well, your body has gone through an increidble amount of shock. You will have to redevelop your motor skills and learn to walk again. Your memories might also take a while to fully recover. I am so incredibly sorry."

"Please," Clara stammered, "Don't be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for. You saved my life, Doctor, and that means everything."

A haze of recollection suddenly swept over her, and everything came flooding back. The feeling of her ribs being crushed, the pain, and then the warm arms around her as the darkness pinpricked her vision. Then, she remembered the Doctor, him setting her body down, fiddling about with the TARDIS, and his speech. His loving words brought tears to her eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.

Her eyes widened in realization. "Doctor, is it true? Do you love me?" Clara asked, the words feeling especially hard to form. The Doctor had begun to cry again at the sight of her own tears, for he feared that what had happened to Clara - what he had brought her into - was too much to endure.

"Clara, I will love you until the day I die, and you will never, ever, be forgotten. I would have done anything to prevent you from enduring so much pain - I would have undergone ten thousand times that amount to assure that you had never gotten hurt in the first place. My, beautiful, wonderful, impossible, Clara, you are so special to me. I will take you wherever you want to go, and I will do anything to protect you," his voice was pure in a raw that she had never heard it before, and she never wanted to hear it any other way ever again.

The Doctor brushed the hair off her face and leaned down to kiss her, so softly, on the forehead.

"I love you too." She whispered, using up every ounce of strength she had to pull his face down and his lips onto hers ever so briefly before she fell back into unconsciousness.

The first two weeks were a blur of pain as Clara slowly regained movement in her body. It started with wiggling fingers and toes, then she was able to move her hands about. Getting to move her neck was not a pleasant affair - the Doctor had had to prop it up while he fed her soup and tea.

By about the tenth day, she could move her arms, so she could feed herself, however painful was. Moving her torso would take much longer, but she knew it would be worth the pain. The Doctor explained that he couldn't have healed her body fully or her entire body, only the most damaged parts, or she would have regenerated fully. She would have become a new person altogether.

The most awkward part was showering, for the Doctor had to help her, especially when she had no use of her arms. He tried not to look, but it was kind of unavoidable, so Clara just sat with her back facing him while he shampooed her hair.

She had a wheelchair that she used for a while, and the TARDIS accommodated for her, making ramps and lifts where needed. She knew that the hardest part was going to be trying to walk again, but that was a still a ways away.

The Doctor had begun trying to get Clara to be able to sit up on her own, slowly. Each day he got her to try going a bit farther up, with his adamant assistance. Every time she tried to move all on her own, a stabbing pulse of pain reverberated about her body. By the time she got good at it, she was feeling less tired, and it was much less of a struggle to move through the day.

The Doctor still had to come get her each morning and lift her into her wheelchair, and do the reverse each night. Clara felt very sorry for him, for he got almost no sleep, watching her most of the night, only returning to his room for two or three hours. What bothered him most, she could tell, was that there was absolutely nothing he could do to speed up the process. Usually, with his sonic and his powerful time machine, he could flash forward through all the tedious, difficult, parts of life. He could focus on only the eventful, the exciting, the best of things. But this was different - the only way for Clara to get better was to stay inside the TARDIS with him at her side constantly. She, too, felt awful about this, but any time she tried to mention it, he immediately dismissed the thought. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than right here with you, right now," he'd say.

It had become a routine for them that each day they would sit in the parlor and tell each other stories. They told all kinds of wild tales, from real life events to fairy tales. She told him of her days in school, her bold plans to travel the Earth (it seemed so petty now, in comparison), and all of the stories her mother had told her as a child. The Doctor sat intently through each tale, but Clara knew his stories were much more intriguing.

He spoke of great wars, great triumphs, and great losses. He spoke of his friends (a savior, a captain, a doctor, an intern, a Roman, and a girl who waited) and his enemies (angels, Daleks, Cybermen, and terrible creatures whom you forgot immediately after seeing). He spoke of the best of times, the most spectacular tales, that would make Clara's slow recovery a little less dull.

"You sure have saved quite a few lives, haven't you, Doctor?" Clara would say, smiling up at him. "I suppose that you are a hero to more than just little ol' me. Who'd have known?"

The Doctor leaned over and kissed her cheek, also grinning from ear to ear, happy to see that his Clara was finally herself again.

A full month after Clara had been injured, it was time for her to try walking again. At this point she was able to move her legs, but it was really difficult to put weight on them.

They were in the TARDIS console room, Clara in her wheelchair, about ready to finally stand. She pushed herself forward and the Doctor put his arm about her waist, ready to support her. Placing her feet on the ground, she shifted her weight forward and tried to stand up. It took her several attempts before she was steady on her feet. Slowly, she started putting one foot in front of the other, leaning most of her weight on the Doctor. They completed numerous reps of this, for hours until she thought she was strong enough to do it on her own. The Doctor let go of her and walked across the room, standing opposite her. Slowly, with unsure legs, she took steps, faster and faster, until she was practically running towards the Doctor. She stumbled a few meters away from him, and he ran to catch her, just in time.

"Come on," he said, "There is something I've been wanting to show you."

The Doctor wheeled Clara, who was fatigued after a day of hard work, to a room deep within the TARDIS. When they got to the door, the Doctor pulled out a key and unlocked it, letting Clara in. This was an average room, just a bit smaller than the parlor, and a bit bigger than her own room. On one wall there were hundreds of pictures, some in black and white, of different people. There were pictures of a few people she recognized - Professor Song, for example. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a person who was all too familiar, it was her, in an eighteenth century maid outfit.

"Is that me?" Clara asked him, not remembering the occasion.

"That was another version of you, one I met before I knew the real you. She died, on Christmas day," he explained, looking carefully at the photograph.

"What is this place?" Clara asked him.

"This is my room," he replied, "That wall is all pictures of the people I knew who have died. I don't show this to many people."

Clara shifted her eyes from the wall back to the Doctor. He looked so torn, so in need of comforting, but she couldn't figure out what to say. She sat a moment, contemplating, but suddenly, she knew exactly what to do.

She stepped out of her chair, stumbled towards him, and pressed her lips onto his, sweetly at first, but she was getting tired of just sweet.

Apparently so was the Doctor, for he picked her up and placed her down on the soft white covers of his bed. He began to kiss her deeper and more passionately than before. He slipped a hand around her waist, closing the distance between them, his other hand curled into her soft glossy hair.

Then, abruptly, he pulled away. He stood up and stepped away from the bed.

"I'm sorry Clara, I don't want to take advantage of you. This isn't the right time," he said.

Clara thought back to the words the fortune teller had spoken that day in Japan, 'When he is finally ready, do not be afraid, do not falter. It will be the best decision of your life'.

Immediately, Clara knew this was all the confirmation she needed. She stood up and grabbed the Doctor's hand, pulling him back towards the bed.

Undoing his bow tie, she said "Doctor, there is no moment more perfect than this, no time when I will ever feel more ready than I am now."

The Doctor smiled and pulled her closer to him, moving them both under the covers.

The whole affair was much less awkward than Clara would have thought, he was very gentle with her, and the love was plain in his eyes. Afterward, they lay together, the Doctor asleep, and Clara silently thanked the fortune teller, for she knew that this was the right decision. The evenings events tumbled over in her mind, and there was now no question whether they were together or not, they just simply _were_.

She fell asleep blissful, thinking of what had past and what was to come.


	6. Jenny and Madam Vastra

Clara awoke the next morning, and rolled over to find that her legs were quite sore from training the day before. She looked around, feeling disoriented at the unfamiliar room. Her lips folded into a smile, however, as she remembered the events of the night before.

As she slid off of the bed and onto her legs, they began to shake tremendously. Clara bent over in attempt to stretch them out, but instead they immediately buckled and she yelled the Doctor's name, fearing that she wouldn't be strong enough to get back up. She was pulling herself toward the door when the Doctor rounded the corner, looking incredibly worried.

When his eyes found her on the floor, a certain amount of relief flooded over him as he realized she was not gravely hurt. He knelt down and scooped her into his arms. He hugged her tight to his chest, just as he had done so many months ago in the depths of his timeline. So much had happened since then, it was almost incomprehensible.

"You need rest," he said as he placed her back onto the bed, pulling the covers up to her chest, "Your body is still recovering and will be in shock after a day like you had yesterday."

Clara just smiled at him, and he smiled back, blushing.

"I'll go get you some breakfast," he said quickly, and hastily left the room.

The Doctor returned a half hour later with a piece of slightly burned toast and a glass of water. Handing them to a very hungry Clara, he said, "Sorry, I couldn't find much, usually I don't eat in the TARDIS. I hope this is alright."

He took her hand as she put the toast aside, no longer thinking about it. "Clara, can we talk about what happened, you know, last night?"

She nodded, unable to read the expression on his face.

"Well, as you know, we are in the time vortex, and have been ever since your accident. That combined with the fact that… it happened in the TARDIS, means that we've created a fixed point in our timelines. We could never go back and change what happened last night."

"But why would we want to change it in the first place?" Clara asked, afraid that he regretted last night more than he let on.

"It's just, I've never done that with a human before. I- Are you okay? I don't know what to do, because this is the first time, as far as I know, that any Time Lord has gotten, um, involved with a human. There might be a reason for this, one I don't know about, and it is really distressing to think that what we did may have caused something terrible," he looked straight into Clara's eyes, and gripped her hand a little too tight. "I'm worried, Clara. If there is some sort of consequence, and there very well may be, I'll have no idea what to do."

Clara broke the eye contact and looked down at their hands. His knuckles were white.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Doctor. I understand that you are concerned, but surely you knew that there would be some sort of risk, and that didn't stop you last night. Sure, it's a fixed time, but it might have been the best time I've ever hand."

Clara looked back up at the Doctor, but as soon as their eyes met, his flitted away. As he began to speak again, his tone was entirely different than it had been before. Each word was slow and measured, and Clara couldn't help but feel that there was something he was holding back.

"Look, Clara, I am going to go away for a while. I don't know how long it will be, but in the mean time, there are some things I need to arrange."

Clara didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry," he ensured her, "I'm not leaving you alone. I have asked Madame Vastra and Jenny to take care of you, to help you in the final stages of rehabilitation. I will be dropping you off with them right away. I know I should have let you know earlier, but, well, I'm afraid we haven't got much choice."

Clara wanted to argue, to say that there was nothing she'd hate more than to be away from him now, but she used every ounce of willpower she had to say that it would be fine, and that he should settle whatever he needed to. She knew that was what the Doctor wanted to hear, and she couldn't help but feel that it was what she owed him to say.

The Doctor leaned down and hugged her tightly before running off, presumably to the console room. Clara heard the TARDIS wheezing, and she knew he was as good as gone.

One week later, Clara was getting anxious with staying with Jenny and Madame Vastra. They were genuinely nice people, and meant the best, but Madame Vastra wasn't the best conversationalist, and Jenny didn't really understand Clara.

Truthfully, Clara just wanted the Doctor back. With more practice, she was walking again. She still occasionally had difficulties, usually just keeping her balance, but each day it was getting easier. All she wanted to do was show the Doctor her progress - to run up to him and embrace his familiar figure, to adjust his bow tie.

There was sort of a routine to how things happened during her stay, Jenny would bring Clara breakfast, and they chatted while she ate.

Sometimes they talked about her and Madame Vastra's relationship, Clara would ask if they enjoyed being married and Jenny would reply with something like, "Oh, yes. We were both so tired of being alone, and enjoyed each other's company oh so much. I couldn't possibly imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else, so we had this little ceremony, and we traded rings. There isn't anything better than having her in my life. I like not being alone anymore."

Clara enjoyed hearing them talk about each other, for she could see plainly how much they loved each other. She couldn't help but wonder if that's what Lily had noticed, or if the man in Geisha Japan had picked up on it. She felt her love for the Doctor in every breath she took, and she knew that deep down he loved her, too, but couldn't imagine whether they radiated their love in such a way.

On one particular day, Clara could tell something was different from the moment she woke up. She went to ask Madame Vastra, but found that she was sitting in the courtyard reading a letter addressed from the Doctor.

"This letter was written weeks ago," she said, looking slightly worried, and Clara's heart skipped a beat, "I don't know why it didn't come earlier. I suppose you really have ought to know a lot sooner."

"What is it?" Clara asked, unable to take it any longer.

"The TARDIS is coming to pick you up today, dear. We've got to make sure that you're ready in time - it will be here in just under an hour. Well, we better get you all packed up," she glanced at Clara, who was standing there in her pajamas, "And, by the way, you may want to change."

Clara sat on the front steps wearing an outfit she'd been saving specially for this day. Her skirt was blue, just like the doors of the TARDIS, and on top was her favorite pink floral shirt. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, and wondered if there would be any sort of tensions between her and the Doctor. She ached for things to go back to exactly as they had been that night in his bedroom, with so much trust; so much affection.

When the TARDIS finally materialized, she leapt up and ran towards, it, ignoring any stiffness in her legs. She flung open the TARDIS door and breathed in the familiar surroundings. Oh, how Clara had missed this.

But before she could so much as call out the Doctor's name, she felt the machine tremble about. Once it came to a stop, she sprung out the doors and inhaled the sweet fresh air.

Opening her eyes, she took in a sight that she had seen before. Spanning out in front of her were endless kilometers of cherry blossom trees. These were not in neat rows, like in Japan, they were sprawled at random intervals, and they were more beautiful than anything she had ever seen in her entire life. Rather than the regular dusty pink colour, some of these trees were yellow or white, and the variety in colour created a picturesque bouquet for her eyes.

Clara stepped closer and was enveloped in the gorgeous smell that the trees produced. She started to wonder where exactly she was, and why the Doctor had chosen this precise location when Jenny–who had followed her onto the TARDIS– came up beside her. Overwhelmed in awe, she began to walk through the vast expanse of cherry trees.

"This is the Forest of Seasons, if I recall correctly." Jenny said, a slightly mischievous look in her eye. "They say that there are four sections, though this forest is infinite. Spring, summer, autumn, winter, that's the order."

As they passed on through, Clara saw a variety of woodland creatures scampering about. Birds fluttered through the air, littering the forest with their melodic songs. At one point, she even saw a deer off in the distance, covered in cherry blossoms, and ever so graceful.

"Doctor?" she called, unsure of which direction to head, "Are you there, Doctor? Which way do I go?" Jenny stepped up beside her, and with a kindly smile, lead her onward.

After a while, they hit what seemed to a barrier, where a line of cherry blossoms met a line of birch trees, lush and green. The two stepped into this new expanse of forest, and, to Clara's amazement, all of the cherry blossoms on her shoulders and hair floated off and turned green, matching with the rest of the forest.

This forest was absolutely teeming with life, from the dark green moss that grew on the trees to the large animals in the corners of her eyes. It seemed as if, when they stepped in to this new section of the forest, that the temperature had gotten slightly warmer, though not enough to be uncomfortable.

Jenny stopped walking beside her. Clara looked at her for a moment, confused. Warmly, Jenny smiled and said "I'm afraid I can't go with you any longer. From this point on, this is your journey alone."

Still confused, and slightly worried, Clara took another step, before feeling a hand on her shoulder. "One more thing," Jenny added hastily, "there is one section of this forest meant for everyone. They say that you'll know when you enter it, because of what you're feeling, something about you will change." With an encouraging nod, Jenny motioned ahead, for Clara to carry on walking.

She wandered through the forest, nervous without Jenny's company, for several more minutes before approaching another. It was gold and red in color, looking rich and even more beautiful than the last two had been. The leaves crunched under her feet and the whole forest smelled of the tender amber notes of fall.

As she progressed towards yet another section, she began to worry that she had wandered in the wrong direction. Shouldn't she have met the Doctor by now? She stepped into the next section hesitantly, and as she passed into it, something incredible happened.

Her clothes had transformed, in the best way. A strapless gown reached just below her knees, ice blue in colour. The back flowed in the crisp breeze and trailed behind her. This dress had a sweetheart neckline and was made of silk. It fit her body beautifully, and she felt stunning. Oddly enough, her shoulders and feet were bare, but they did not feel cold.

A soft dusting of snow began to fall, covering her like icing sugar. Trees with icicles hanging on them lined a lone path, and reflected the moonlight with a glistening iridescence. Just as Clara was able to turn around, she caught a glimpse of the Doctor's familiar tweed coat from behind a tree.

The path twisted one final time, and she found herself underneath an arch of icicle-clad tree branches, and faced with the most endearing smile she'd ever seen.

The Doctor brought her into a hug, but it was a far more intimate than ever before. One of his arms curled around her waist, and the other against her upper back, his hand pushing her head into his chest. She breathed in his glorious scent - a humble combination of smoke and pine and cinnamon, and, well, him.

"This is so amazing, Doctor," Clara praised when they finally broke apart, "But why bring me here?"

The Doctor smiled at her and reached out to stroke her cheek, letting his fingers linger on her jaw.

"Clara Oswin Oswald, my impossible girl. You are so incredibly special to me. I knew it the moment I met you, and every time I see you, I am reminded. I wasn't quite sure how to tell you, or if I ever would, but when you were attacked that day on Fae, I realized how horrible my life would be without you in it. I realized how much you complete me, Clara. You understand me more than anyone else, even when I am being absolutely ridiculous. I have seen a lot of people I love die, and when I thought you did, it almost killed me, too.

"But Clara, you have always been there for me, even before I knew that you were. You have made my life infinitely better, and for that I am forever grateful."

He paused a moment, and slid down onto on knee. He gazed deep into Clara's eyes, and let his face break out into the biggest of grins.

"Clara, My Clara. My impossible, witty, soufflé making, perfect Clara. I will love you until the end of my days, and nothing could ever make me happier than having you around for the rest of your days."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, a ruby surrounded by two diamonds, and Clara's heart began to pound.

"Clara Oswald, will you marry me?"

Shaking, he dropped the ring in the snow and Clara couldn't help but burst into laughter as she got to her knees and picked it up for him. Her hands were also shaking, and they felt cold as she handed the ring back to him. There were tears rolling down her face as she held out her hand nodding, not able the words that could even remotely express her happiness.

The Doctor slid it onto her finger without the slightest hesitation, and opened his mouth to say something, but she pulled his lips onto his before he could. His hands found their way to her face, and he ran one through her hair.

Clara could taste his tears as well, and the only thought that could run through her mind was the absolute perfection of the moment. She huddled closer into him, still trying to absorb the fact that she was going to be his _wife_**,** and she did her best to ignore the little pink plus that made an appearance earlier that day.


	7. UNIT

Clara paced about the Doctor's bedroom, fretting over how she was going to spill her news. It had been a month since Clara and the Doctor had gotten engaged, and she was worrying if it was right to keep something like this from him. She had taken five tests over the course of the month, and there was no question about it. Clara was pregnant with the Doctor's baby.

The thing that worried her most about this is that it had only been about five weeks since it happened, and her belly was already beginning to swell. She had read many books on this sort of thing, human books. All of them said that she would start to show about four months after she found out, but she didn't know what would happen if it was half Time Lord. Mostly, she was hoping that she was just getting fatter or bloated, hormones and all, but she needed to ask someone, just to make sure.

Jenny and Madame Vastra had decided to stay in the TARDIS with them for a while, getting bored of the whole Victorian London scene. Hoping that Madame Vastra might know a bit more about these situations, Clara decided to approach her.

"Madame Vastra," Clara asked, approaching her when she was alone in the library one day, "Could I talk to you for a bit?"

Madame Vastra, a questioning look on her face, agreed and sat down across from Clara.

"At this point, I'm sure you know that the Doctor and I have been in a relationship for a while." Clara started, already wanting to back out. She took a deep breath and continued, "But there is one thing that you might not know. About five weeks ago, something happened between the Doctor and I. I found something out about a week later. I'm pregnant, and I don't know what this means, or what I should do."

Madame Vastra just sat there, a distant look of shock glazing over her face. She asked whether Clara had told the Doctor yet, and Clara shook her head. She explained that she didn't know how he would take it, and that she was afraid that the Doctor might want her to get rid of it.

"I am not the right person to ask about this, Clara." Madame Vastra said, looking worried, "the best I can guess is that your body will not take this too well, especially after the trauma it has just faced. Something similar has happened before, but only a bit of the baby was a Time Lord. It was the child of two humans, Amy and Rory Williams. Amy became pregnant in the TARDIS, in the space-time continuum, and the baby was affected by the time travel during the pregnancy. This is quite different from your situation, but you should know that the parents lived a long and happy life. I do believe that you've met the child; Professor River Song."

Clara recognized the name, and felt a morsel of relief. However, she realised that this was not the amount of information or reassurance that she needed, promptly thanked Madame Vastra before heading off to look for the Doctor.

She found him exactly where she expected to, in the console room. His fingers danced around the controls, and as she approached, he looked up with his eyes full of cheer.

"Clara, I've just thought of the most amazing place to show you now that you're all better. Have you ever been to Egypt in 4329? Oh, what a question to ask! It is incredible. Only a few years after the war between Mars and Earth, they developed a revolutionary way to harness cosmic radiation, it's fascinating!" At this point, he noticed her serious expression, and his voice softened. He closed the distance between them and grabbed her hands. Looking her in the eye, he asked if everything was alright.

"You may want to sit down." She said. As he found a chair, Clara pulled the TARDIS monitor over towards him. She typed in her own name and pulled up her data, pulling it closer to the Doctor. The screen read:

Clara Oswald, 27

Height: 1.57 meters

Weight: 50 kg

Race: Human

Planet of Origin: Earth

Status: Living

Additional Information: Pregnant, 5 weeks

The Doctor sat there, staring at the computer screen. His eyes were wide and the color had all drained from his face. He turned and stared at Clara, who had both hands on her stomach, afraid of what he might say. Slowly, he stood up and walked towards her.

"You're pregnant?" he asked.

Clara nodded.

"It's mine?"

She nodded again. She stepped forward and hugged him, putting all of her stress, all of her anxiety behind her. She no longer had to hide. Finally, the Doctor knew. Clara stepped back and looked at him. A mess of emotions were displayed on his face, from joy to angst to wonder. The Doctor began to pace about the room. Mumbling to himself.

"I don't know what this will mean, I don't know how to handle it, exactly. Whatever it is, I want to protect it, at all costs." He kneeled down in front of Clara, looking at her belly.

"So, we're really going to do this?" he asked, face flooding with reserved joy, "We're really going to have a baby?" The Doctor got up and hugged Clara a little more gently than before.

"I want to know more about it, Doctor." Clara said as the two separated. "I know we can't see a human doctor, but maybe is there someone who would know about this sort of thing?" The Doctor nodded, looking grave. He spun around and fiddled with the control panel.

"Where are we going?" Clara asked. The Doctor spun around and faced her, looking solemn.

"We're going to U.N.I.T."

The TARDIS landed, and Clara and the Doctor stepped out, to find themselves in some sort of lab. Oddly enough, nobody seemed to think it a big deal that the TARDIS had just appeared. They just continued on with their work, not giving anything more than a quick glance as they walked by.

One man, however, stood up from his desk and walked over to meet the Doctor. This man was tall and strong-looking, with a buzz cut. He was just a tad taller than the Doctor, and met his eye with a familiarity.

"Doctor, so good to see you. Is there something going on?" he asked in a husky voice.

The Doctor just shook his head and said, "No, we're just here to see Ms. Jones. Is she available? It is a tad urgent." The man nodded and smiled, "Ms. Jones has had it instructed that she is always available to see you."

When they reached her office, The Doctor leaned over and whispered in Clara's ear that he would not be long, and he just needed to speak with this woman. He went over and spoke to her in hushed tones. Clara could tell that the woman was disheartened, even if only a bit, by what he said. After a few minutes, the Doctor stood up with the woman and she stepped forward to shake Clara's hand.

"My name is Martha Jones, and I am a physician for UNIT," the woman, Martha, said, "I know a bit about these types of situations, I have been studying them for twenty years."

Clara smiled and walked out the door, the nervousness fluttering in her stomach.

Martha lead them to a little office with an examination table and a few medical instruments that she didn't recognize. Clara sat down on the table as Martha put on a pair of silicon gloves.

"So, first off, are you entirely sure that you are pregnant? Sometimes tests can be off." Martha asked. Clara explained how she had taken five tests, and that the TARDIS scan showed up as positive.

Martha seemed to contemplate this for a while, and then picked up something that looked like a spoon with a cord attached. Clara was instructed to lie down. As she did, Martha put some gel-like substance on her bare stomach, and then placed the spoon-instrument just above her belly button.

"So, you've only been pregnant for five weeks." The Doctor, who had been standing off to the side– not knowing what to do, for once– nodded. "It seems that, compared to a regular human pregnancy, this is happening quite quickly, at least three times the rate it should be. From the looks of things, not only your physical appearance, but also the development of your baby, you should be ready to deliver in about seven or eight weeks." Martha said, looking a bit puzzled.

Clara was getting worried. Eight weeks? That was definitely not enough time to prepare.

"There is one more thing you should know," Martha said, "Due to the increased rate your pregnancy is progressing, you will experience every regular human symptom, but at three times the severity. I am extremely confident that you can survive this, the odds are very good. As long as you can do three, extremely crucial things. One, on delivery day, the second you feel something, come right here. I will happily deliver your baby, and I know how to deal with things like these. Two, take extra care of yourself. Only eat natural food, drink lots of water et cetera. Three, remember that you are strong enough to do this. It will be very painful, but I believe in you. The Doctor will also be there to support you. I wish you the best of luck, and I will see you when you are ready to deliver."

After they had returned to the TARDIS, The Doctor approached Clara, looking worried and a bit sad. "What Martha said earlier, about the pain and the fact that you might not survive." The Doctor wagered, "I am not comfortable putting you or your body through that." He said, gesturing to Clara's stomach. Clara just stared at him with daggers in her eyes, not knowing what to do or say. There was no way she was going to give up this baby. "Doctor," she said calmly, "there is no force on earth that can willingly make me give up this baby. This is our _child._ I will do whatever it takes to give it life, and if that means that I have to endure a little pain, so be it. The Doctor stepped back, an apologetic but defensive look on his face. "I know you're worried, but we can get through this, and just think, soon we will have a little baby of our own." The Doctor stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling Clara into a warm hug. Clara pulled away, a new thought breaking through all of this baby business.

"Doctor, there is something that I want to do before the baby comes. Let's get married."


	8. A Trip Home

Clara was in a dress shop in 1910s London.

It was the day after her and the Doctor's trip to U.N.I.T, and they were trying to get all the preparations done before the wedding, which was five days from then. Jenny had become Clara's accomplice, since Madame Vastra wasn't quite the type for these things, and the Doctor would not be patient enough. Besides, she wanted to surprise him.

Piles of dresses passed by her changing room, most too small for her protruding belly. The shopkeepers didn't mind, though, for every time one started to complain, Jenny pulled out a wad of cash, provided by the Doctor, and they would go and get another dress.

Jenny was always kind in her remarks, saying things like "It makes your arms look good" or "Your eyes stands out". Clara was getting incredibly frustrated, and was contemplating giving up, when Jenny reentered the changing room once more. She helped Clara wriggle into the dress, then stepped back in admiration.

"This," Clara said, wooed by the beauty of the dress, "Is it."

The remaining four days sped by exceedingly fast. It was all a blur of dress fittings and finding a place and a priest. Clara and the Doctor could not decide what language, religion, planet nor time they should be married on. After debating about it for a while, the Doctor told Clara that he would take care of the whole thing, and just let her rest, for her pregnancy was taking a huge toll on her day-to-day life.

Finally, it was time. Clara woke up on the morning of her wedding in an unfamiliar room. As her mind became sharper, she remembered how Jenny had made her sleep in this room alone, because it was tradition (at least on Earth) for the bride and groom to be separated one day before they were to be wed. All at once, a surge of emotions hit her like a tidal wave, and her heart filled with excitement and joy, while her stomach was fluttering about.

Clara knew that the TARDIS had landed, and that when she opened the door that day, she would be walking down the aisle. She decided to take this day slowly, to savour it, for it was the happiest day of her life so far. She got up and stretched her hands up, finding that her back was no longer sore, and that she wasn't nauseated. In fact, this was the best she'd felt all week.

Feeling amazingly light, she walked to the kitchen to get herself breakfast. As she entered, she found a surprise waiting for her in her usual breakfast-eating spot. A plate of pancakes sat on the table with a note attached: 'Happy wedding day! I will meet you in the parlor to get you ready at 2:00. Enjoy your day and don't be late! From Jenny.' Clara smiled and helped herself to some deliciously fluffy pancakes.

It was about noon by the time Clara was finished eating (she took the liberty of sleeping in late), and she decided that she could do whatever she wanted for the next two hours, she could worry about everything else later. She spent her time reading, sipping on tea and just trying to relax. Her body was not bloated, nor was it uncomfortable today, and for that she was grateful. When it was 1:30, she took a bubble bath, soaking in rose water that left her smelling beautiful, with silky-soft hair and skin. She was ready.

At precisely 2:00, Clara and Jenny met in the parlor room, Jenny holding the bridal gown, looking excited and proud to be Clara's made of honor. Clara walked up to Jenny and hugged her, thanking her for being so supportive. Jenny just blushed and suggested they start getting ready, for the ceremony was to start at 3:30. First, Clara slipped into the bridal gown. Then she did her hair and makeup. Finally, she put on her shoes and accessories, and she was transformed into the bride she'd always dreamed of becoming.

At 3:25, it was time to line up.

"Are you ready to go, Clara?" Jenny asked.

Clara turned and looked at herself in the mirror, and did her best to imprint the image in her memory. This was something she knew she'd want to remember forever.

Her hair was half pinned up, and had been curled into gentle ringlets which lay primly against her bare shoulders. A small tiara sat on her head and kept the veil secure. Her dress was a cream-colored satin gown, with a skirt that came to her ankles in the front, but had a train in the back which reached a full meter behind her. The sleeves were off her shoulders, but reached all the way down her arms, touching her ring fingers on both sides.

The arms were lace, and they attached to an empire waistline that flowed out over her round stomach. On the train of the dress, and on the veil, there was delicate gold detailing that reached from the small of her back to about three inches from where the train ended. The bodice also had the gold on it. Her shoes were sweet little cream and gold Mary-Janes, ones that were high enough that you could see them, but not so high that she could not walk. Clara sucked in a breath and walked towards the TARDIS door.

Jenny led the way, in her gold, knee-length three quarter sleeve gown. Clara had in her hands a bouquet of dark red roses, sprinkled with cherry blossoms. Clara stepped outside of the TARDIS door and marveled at the sight around her. She was in a forest, but the leaves on the trees were silver, glinting in the sunlight. The sky was a sunset orange, and there was a river running beside where she was standing. There was a deep red carpet in front of her, and she knew that, just around the corner, the Doctor was waiting for her. Smiling, Clara pulled the veil over her face and started to make her way down the aisle.

She turned the corner, and to her surprise, there were hundreds of seats occupied. The back few rows were occupied by people she barely recognized, but came to realize that they were the citizens of Akhaten. As she moved forward, there were more faces she recognized; Merry Gejelh, Grand Marshal Skaldak and his crew, Porridge, Captain Zhukov and Proffessor Grishenko, Emma Grayling and Professor Alec Palmer, Hilia Tukurian, the Van Baalen brothers, and Artie and Angie in the front row. Memories of these people brought tears to her eyes, and she felt so happy. At the end of the aisle, Madame Vastra and Jenny were waiting, along with the priest and Strax. Directly in front of her was the man that she had been waiting for, the one who loved her unconditionally, and she loved him even more.

The Doctor was standing there in a black suit and matching bow tie with a dark red rose on his lapel. He was beaming at her, love plain on his face. Clara walked up and stood beside him, and all she could think was that this was the moment she had always been waiting for.

The priest began to speak, but Clara was not listening. She could only focus on the Doctor, and how much she loved him, and how ready she was. Finally, it was time to say their vows. The Doctor Started

"My impossible girl, there is nothing I can say here that you don't already know, no words to describe just how much you mean to me. Clara, you are so beautiful and intelligent. You understand me like no one has before. You are the first person with whom I have ever felt comfortable enough to completely share my world. That is why I wanted to have the wedding here. This is Gallifrey, Clara. This is my past, about two hundred years before I was born. This used to be my world, but it is not anymore. For a long time I didn't have a place to call home, a world of my own. Now I do. You are my world, Clara, and I will do anything to protect you.

"My Clara, you helped me find my home."


	9. Back to UNIT

Just as Martha had predicted, Clara was ready to deliver exactly five weeks after the wedding. She had been sitting in the TARDIS' kitchen, spreading butter over some freshly made pancakes. The Doctor didn't cook very often (neither did Clara, really, they used to just travel to whichever planet's top restaurant they were in the mood for), but he had been making a special effort recently. Sitting on her plate was a stack of warm, fluffy, pancakes, just like she'd enjoyed back at home - only now, they were bright purple! The Doctor had used a flavouring from some distant planet. Not only did it add a bright hue, but it instilled a vanilla, maple butterscotch flavour into the pancakes as well. He'd made them for Clara for one of her first breakfasts in the TARDIS (she suspected he was just showing off), but it had grown to be one of her favourite meals.

As she reached to get another pancake, a crippling pain suddenly shot through Clara's abdomen and the butter knife dropped right out of her hand. The Doctor, who had been standing on the other side of the room, came rushing over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked, nervously looking into her eyes.

She smiled and nodded as the pain began to subside, "Oh, don't worry about me, Doctor. It was only a little—"

But before Clara could manage to get the last few words out of her mouth, another sharp pain spread through her stomach, this time several times stronger than before. It was unbearable, almost like lightning. It was too much for her to stand, and her legs gave out beneath her as she collapsed to the floor. She felt the Doctor throw his arms around her, and the last thing she remembered before her vision darkened was the touch of the Doctor's gentle lips to her forehead.

When Clara awoke, she was met with Martha's hand on her forehead and a stethoscope on her heart. Martha had put her directly onto a feed of morphine, and assured her with a smile that it wouldn't be too long before it was all over.

The Doctor slid his hand into hers, and didn't tear his eyes away from her for a single moment. Martha asked Clara to keep her eyes on her, but every now and again she stole a glance at the Doctor. He was trying his hardest to look brave and confident in her, but Clara knew his looks all too well. She could tell it was hard for him to see her in such pain, and that he'd do anything he could to make it end sooner.

Clara was also tired of the excruciating contractions, and was just trying to push through for her baby son or daughter, and for the Doctor, whom she wanted to give a beautiful life with their child.

But after two hours of staying in the medical room at UNIT, there hadn't been much progress, and Clara could tell that Martha was beginning to get a little worried. One of the machines that she was hooked up to began to emit a loud, violent beeping noise, and she realised this meant that the baby's heart rate was decreasing. Fast.

"I'll just be a moment," Martha assured her, "I'm just going to get one of my colleagues to help out."

She spoke a few extra words to the Doctor before leaving, and Clara became incredibly anxious the moment that Martha stepped out of the room. Hot, salty tears began streaming down her cheeks. She buried her head into the Doctor's shoulder, but it only reminded that this was a man whose life she'd be shattering if she couldn't deliver this baby for him.

He ran his fingers through her hair and held her head in his hands, pulling it next to his.

"I know you can do this, Clara," he whispered, in a tone more meaningful and focused than Clara had ever heard him use, "You're my wife, my love, and above all — you're my impossible girl. I believe in you."

She had nothing to respond to that with, so instead she just shook her head and sobbed even harder. She wanted to believe the Doctor, she really did, but somehow it just didn't seem possible.

"Martha will be taking you into surgery now," he said, struggling to keep his voice steady, "It looks like you're going to need a C-section. I know it might sound terrifying, but I promise you that there isn't a person in this galaxy more qualified to deliver than Martha. I travelled with her, too, you know, and I only travel with the best."

Clara looked at him.

"And, of course, I only marry the best of the best. I love you so much, Clara, and I believe in you more than anything. I'm not allowed to go into the operation room with you, but you must know that I'll be thinking of you every single moment we're apart. And if you need a reminder, a tiny little token of how much I love you, remember these two words." He leaned in and whispered them in her ear, just as Martha came in and wheeled his Clara away.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Martha approached the Doctor with a bundle in her arms. She was smiling as she handed the tiny newborn wrapped in blankets to the Doctor. As carefully as he could, he accepted it and cradled it in his arms. Before him, there lay an infant with rosy cheeks and a delicate nose.

Already, there were several of soft hair on its head and as he brought it closer to him, he inhaled the baby's lovely, clean scent. The Doctor looked at Martha, not knowing what to do or say.

Martha, a big smile on her face and tears in her eyes, said, "Doctor, this is your son."

The Doctor could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at his baby boy. This was his child, he had made this, and he knew that he would love it and care for it until he died.

"Does he have a name yet?" asked the Doctor.

Martha brought a chair around for him to sit in. "Clara told me that she wanted you to name him, for it is you that will care for him the rest of your life, and you who will know him the longest. She said 'I want my Clever Boys to be happy together. I will love any name that he will choose.' … By the way, your wife is sleeping at the moment, and she is going to be just fine." Martha got up to check on Clara, leaving the Doctor alone to choose a name.

"You, my dear," he said, "are going to have to be very brave. There are a lot of things out there, nasty things. I will be by your side always, and I will always keep you and your mother safe. You deserve a name that represents how brave I know you will come to be. Once I met a man who was willing to risk his life, over and over again, to save mine and my friends'. He was one of the bravest souls I have ever met and I would be incredibly proud to have a son like him." The Doctor looked down at this infant, so new, so delicate. He had Clara's eyes, deep brown and beautiful. "I love you so incredibly much, more than even I know. You look so much like your mother, you know that?" the Doctor hugged his baby even closer and whispered "We are about to go on an adventure, my boy, my baby. You, me, and your mother, Clara. What do you say, Jack Oswin Oswald?"

Later that day, Clara awoke for a moment in her hospital bed with both the Doctor and Jack asleep at her side. She smiled as she stared at their adorable little faces which had been captured by sleep, and the Doctor's two words drifted softly through her mind. They reminded her of all of the good times she'd shared with her husband, and ensure her of the great times that laid ahead. She repeated them to herself quietly, and as she drifted back into sleep they were the last sounds that left her lips.

"Cherry blossoms."


	10. Epilogue: Old Memories

_February 14__th__, 2017;_

_ Today is Valentine's Day. Well, at least we've decided it is. Of course, there's no time zone in the TARDIS, but I do my best to keep track of how many days have passed since I left Earth._

_ I know I haven't written in this journal for quite some time, but today feels like a day I need to commemorate._

_ Jack is growing up quite nicely. He is already fluent in twenty languages (thanks to the Doctor) and he loves to run around in the TARDIS. It seems the TARDIS loves him too, as she's always creating new rooms for him to play in._

_ As for the Doctor, he loves having Jack around. He's very protective, which is really kind of sweet, because you can see how much he loves his little boy. Of course, he still goes on his adventures (someone's got to take care of all of time and space, after all!), but he only takes Jack and I on the safer journeys. Sometimes, I get a bit bored in the TARDIS, but thankfully she provides new rooms to explore — and there's always the library. Not to mention playing with Jack, who is such a joy. I see so much of his father in him every day, and it's lovely. I've never seen a bolder, more caring, compassionate little boy._

_ Today is two and a half weeks from my "due date" (as prophesized by Martha). This baby came as slightly less of a surprise to us, and it is being handled much better than my first pregnancy. We're thinking this one's going to be a girl. My belly is quite small, actually, (compared to Jack), but there hasn't been any pain or discomfort, which is a huge relief._

_ However, I've been having some memory loss over the past few months. The Doctor says that he has as well, particularly around the time we went to Japan. I've been researching it, and it seems that it may not be my mind that's at fault — for I am only thirty-one — but that those events didn't actually occur. That might sound a little crazy, and it is, but every time the Doctor tries to explain it to me with all of his timey-wimey words, I just get more confused. However, those were some of the best few weeks of my life, and I really would like to remember them, and what's more, have them actually happen. _

_ I haven't thought about this for a while, but we never actually found out who it was that stole the TARDIS. I have thought of every possible explanation, but nothing plausible seems to make sense. So, I have decided to take matters into my own hands._

_ That's why today is so special. The Doctor is showing Jack the meadows of Fveri, and so I'm sitting all alone inside the TARDIS where it's parked in this tiny little star system. They'll be gone for quite a few hours, and, well, in other words — I have the TARDIS to myself._

_ I've got the navigation system set in the area of Japan that the Doctor and I explored, and on the exact day we arrived. I am ready._

* * *

Clara stepped into a familiar scene of bustling people in Kimono, the smell of cherry blossoms dancing in the air. She stifled a laugh, trying to ignore the flood of nostalgia that accompanied this beautiful sight. Not having left the TARDIS for weeks, she was incredibly relieved to be able to breathe in the sweet air. It was a nice change to have a little mission of her own, separate from the Doctor.

She rounded a familiar street corner and saw the TARDIS (an earlier version of it), exactly where she thought it would be. Clara waddled toward it and stepped just behind to catch her breath. It was very hard to run with her big belly, but thankfully she didn't stick out amongst the crowd too much. She'd dressed in old English clothes (provided by Jenny, who often still spent some time with Clara), and she looked just like a visiting housewife.

She carefully watched herself step out of the TARDIS, three years younger, eager for adventure. The Doctor soon stepped out behind her, a big, goofy smile on his face. They took a few steps away from the blue box and Clara knew it was her chance. The key was still in the door of the TARDIS, so she grabbed it, swung in, and slammed the door.

Thankfully, since the Doctor and Clara had been married, the Doctor had finally taught Clara how to fly the TARDIS. However, now that she had control of this TARDIS, she knew it was her job to steal it and run away. The question was where she would take it?

It wasn't long before she remembered something she'd been meaning to get off her chest. With a small, excited, smile, Clara pulled the final lever and the TARDIS blasted off forward in time to visit her grandmother.

It was going to be hard to face her family again, but they had to know she was okay. She landed at the elder care home, hoping she was still well. Clara approached her grandmother's suite and knocked on the window. A familiar hand pulled back the curtain, and her grandmother's face smiled at her through the glass.

Later, Clara was sitting on her grandmother's couch in her tiny little room. She had always had a special bond with her grandmother, so the conversation came easily between them. Cautiously, she told her grandmother everything about the Doctor and time travel, Jack and her new baby.

It felt so good to tell someone other than the Doctor about everything, especially someone who was close family. Clara had been away from her family for a year (in their time) and she was hoping all of this new information, especially with how impossible it sounded, wouldn't give her poor grandmother a heart attack. Clara had expected shock and uncertainty, but what she got was much more of a surprise.

"You remind me of my mother so much," her grandmother began, setting down her tea, "She always used to tell stories of this wonderful man who took her time traveling, with his bowties and floppy hair, and 'Yowza!'– though I never knew what that was supposed to mean. It was the man with the blue box, the one that would never age."

"It seems that you have had the fortune to come across this man also." She paused, looking with love at Clara "I want you to be happy, and if it is with this man, the same man my mother came to love, then I not only accept it, I bless and encourage it."

She took off her ring, the ring she had worn as long as Clara could remember, and handed it to her. "Take this ring and wear it, and then, when she's ready, give it to your daughter." Her words were kind and soft.

Clara felt as if she were about to cry, this being the last time she would see any member of her regular family. Then, she stood up, embraced her grandmother, and, with one final look, left her "normal" life behind.

Clara took some time before she moved on, she was still pondering how her great-grandmother met the Doctor. Clara wanted to bring this up with the Doctor, but she didn't know how. Besides, her grandmother was quite old and could have warped some things in her memory. Finally, she figured that is was his past, and it may be sore, since it seemed like someone he lost. She looked ahead at what she had to do next, then landed the TARDIS and prepared what she was going to say. Her next stop was to pose as a street beggar, so she brought a little table from the TARDIS, and set it up outside of the hotel they stayed in three years previously, and sat down. At that moment, Younger Clara came down the street with the Doctor, and Older Clara cooed to her, beckoning her over. She chose her words carefully, trying to access her memory. "… do not be afraid, do not falter. It will be the best decision of your life." Older Clara whispered with a finality.

The last step in her little adventure was to plant the little notes to lead them along. This was not easy, because she was not in her best physique. She planted everything well before she knew anyone would arrive, for sake of not being caught (though she came very close once). The hardest part was turning on the invisibility option for the TARDIS, for she had to fiddle around for a while before finally getting it right.

Just as Clara parked the TARDIS, she began to feel an immense pressure and pain in her lower abdomen. _No, _she thought, _not now. _She sprinted in the direction of the TARDIS from her own timeline in terrible pain. She had to take the ferry, a whole forty-five minutes, and then walk five kilometres back to the time machine she called home.

Embarrassingly, her water broke as she was stepped off the ferry, and the cry of pain that accompanied it did not distract from the growing puddle under her feet. People passing by ran over to help her, but she had to push them away. She was ready to deliver, and for that she would need Martha. There would be no time to get the Doctor, so Clara unwillingly told the TARDIS to take her to UNIT, and there she would have to deliver alone.

As soon as she walked in to UNIT, she noticed something different. There seemed to be an air of crisis. Thankfully, she spotted Martha right away, and from one look Martha knew what she needed to do. She grabbed her first-aid kit and took Clara by the arm back into the TARDIS. There, they found a room where there was just a clean metal table (Clara soon realized that the TARDIS knew Clara was in labor, and made it especially for her).

Martha set up her supplies, explaining that UNIT was just running some important drills, and that they were going in to lockdown mode. Clara lay down on the table and Martha assessed how far along she was. Then it was time.

With this baby, it was much different than with Jack. Martha didn't have access to anesthetics, nor did she have painkillers, so Clara felt everything. It was excruciating. At one point, she blacked out, but when she awoke, she was met with a beautiful, green eyed, rosy-cheeked baby girl. There were little tufts of reddish-brown hair on her head, and she had delicate lips. She was wrapped in a little white blanket and her skin was still a bit pink.

"She's smaller than average. A preemie baby, it seems. She a beauty, though. You sure are lucky." Martha said, smiling. "she seems to be healthy, too, but make sure you be careful, she's not the burly baby Jack was."

Clara took the tiny new baby in her arms, beaming a smile. Right then and there, she knew that she would name her baby after her grandmother, who supported her choices and reassured her family of her safety. Her baby's full name would be Evelyn Jessica Oswald (nicknamed "Evie"). She cooed like the happiest little baby, and Clara knew that the Doctor would fall in love with her as soon as he saw her.

Clara dropped Martha back at UNIT a few days later, since Clara needed time to recover after the abrupt surgery. The best part about having the TARDIS was that she could spend as much time as she wanted with it, and still be on time to pick her boys up. It would be a surprise to them to see her back at her original physique (she had actually _lost_ weight while delivering Evie).

The Doctor swung open the door and–in a cheezy, singsong voice– belted "Right on time, Clara dear!"

Clara giggled to herself, thinking of the five days she spent without them, with her new baby girl. The second the Doctor saw her, he stopped. His cheery, breezy look was wiped from his face.

"Doctor, don't be alarmed, but I sort of, went on my own adventure," Clara took his hand explained to him what had happened, as quickly and vaguely as she could (she left out the details about Japan — just mentioned the part about visiting her grandma) and why she had delivered without him.

"We couldn't have contacted you, Martha was busy making sure I was healthy and I was busy having a baby." Clara took a breath from her rambling and looked at the Doctor lovingly "Speaking of the baby, this," she said, picking up the soft little bundle, "is Evie."

The Doctor stepped forward, seemingly in shock, and, with shaking hands, he took little Evie in his arms.

Later, she saw the Doctor in the sitting room with Evie and Jack, telling stories with wild expressions on his face and his hands flapping about. She couldn't help but grin at this sight. The Doctor and his newest companions.

* * *

_ Just over fifty years later, the Doctor took Clara back to the island of cherry blossoms. She had been very weak up to that point, and the Doctor knew he would have to say goodbye._

_ He thought that Clara got even more beautiful with age. Her hair turned silvery-white, and she got wrinkles, but the Doctor still saw her as her beautiful self._

_ Thankfully, their children never regenerated, though they came close a few times. They grew to be about twenty, then they stopped aging. It was completely normal, apparently. Jack grew up to be strong and handsome, with dark brown hair and eyes, and Evie with brown-red hair and delicate green eyes. It was worrisome, for she only grew to be five-foot-one, but she stayed healthy._

_ Jack went to work for UNIT, defending planets. He was sort of a war hero, and his parents were extremely proud. Evie preferred to explore. She had an extremely bright mind, so she was able to invent and grow her own sort of TARDIS that she travelled in and took exploring with her._

_ As for Clara and the Doctor, they still went on adventures, up until a few weeks previously. Though, the past few years had been slightly less dangerous ones._

_ Today, Clara wore a blue dress and no shoes, like the day she and the Doctor had gotten engaged. Her children accompanied her, wearing their best. Clara reached a hand out, holding her great-grandmother's ring towards Evie, knowing that she was definitely ready. Clara felt very good about her life, and she knew there was nothing that she would change, not for a moment. It was so filled with love and light and happiness. She remembered her adventures with the Doctor, back when she barely knew him, and smiled, for then they had been quite awkward, and now they were so close. She was the first person that he let himself fall in love with, and he was her hero._

_ The Doctor helped her up out of her wheelchair, and carried her to the top of that familiar tower, where they watched the sunset, like they had many years before. She held the Doctor's hand, and smiled and she closed her eyes. And, happily, she left this moment, her family, and her beloved swirling world of beautiful colours in peace._


End file.
